Sales reach £42.6m
Fashion e-tailer Asos's sales soared 116 per cent to£42.6 million in the year to March 31, delivering a monster 144 per cent profit increase to£3.4 million..

However, the comparative year was affected by the Buncfield fuel depot explosion in December 2005.

International sales jumped 158 per cent to£4.5 million for the year, accounting for 10.5 per cent of sales. Asos said it will launch a fully internationalised web site in the next few years.

Chief executive Nick Robertson said: 'The business continues to grow following significant investment in people, infrastructure and marketing [and] through better buying and stock control.'

Sales were up 85 per cent in the 13 weeks to June 30, compared with a 65 per cent increase last year. However, the group said with three quarters of the year to go, including the all-important Christmas period, it is too early to assess whether this performance will continue for the full year.

Roberston said: 'We continue to outperform the market as a whole and have a number of initiatives in place to drive continued organic growth. Further investment, most notably in human resource, will be required to support these initiatives and deliver our own ambitious growth targets.'

Seymour Pierce analyst Richard Ratner said: 'The growth story continues. Retail margin is expected to grow by 3 per cent to 4 per cent [in the next financial year].'

Asos was founded seven years ago and is the UK's largest online fashion and beauty retailer with 1.3 million registered users.

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